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That doesn't necessarily mean that Goldsmith's score, despite its effectiveness in the few portions of the film where it was allowed to flourish, is readily enjoyable. Many longtime collectors of Goldsmith's scores shun Alien, partly because it was never used well in the film, and partially because it's largely unlistenable outside of the final cue. It has much of the same effect on people as Goldsmith's somewhat concurrent Outland, with a drab, dissonant score for a gray, hopeless future in space finished by one somewhat tonal thematic performance at the end. This compilation focuses mainly on Goldsmith's work, and the presentation is excellent regardless of tolerability. The cues from James Horner's score for Aliens are more accessible on CD, as they always have been in comparison to Alien. Horner extended the four-note "time" motif from Goldsmith's score into an opening titles sequence not much unlike Goldsmith's. But where Horner excels is in his action music; some listeners see little difference between the propulsive, snare-driven action here and that of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and in Horner's world of recycling sounds that work, those people would be correct. Nevertheless, his adaptation of that material is far more brutal here, and rips up a storm with brass and piccolo that is well captured by the RSNO. The three cues from Alien 3 represent the opening and closing of the film and one horror cut from the middle portions. The Elliot Goldenthal score is a "love it or hate it" event, and no matter where you stand on that debate, everyone agrees that it is a significant departure from the approaches of Goldsmith and Horner. As he tends to do, Goldenthal over-intellectualizes the score, inserting a purely classical, operatic, and religious element into a film that never called for that kind of elegance, even in its sacrificial finale. Goldenthal's adagio and related neo-classical ideas do, however, offer ironically the most easily listenable music on this compilation in their rather simplistic beauty. The horror cue in the middle of this suite is completely intolerable in true Goldenthal experimental fashion, showing that the composer was incapable of finding a completely effective middle ground between horror and romanticism. Overall, however, the performances on the album are nearly flawless and represent a fantastic job of coordination and execution by the producers and conductor. Even as Alien-related films continue to be released, this collection from the first three scores is worthy of attention from any fan of the series.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Cliff Eidelman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.29 (in 17 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.2 (in 8,860 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 53:45